Anne Heche's Estate Sued Over Large Debt

By Ashley Turner

The late actress Anne Heche's estate, is being taken to court by a credit card company for $36,000 in debt. Her two sons, Homer Laffoon, 20, and Atlas Heche Tupper, 18, were notified of the debt shortly after Laffoon, 20, was appointed general administrator of the deceased actress' estate in November 2022, According to court documents obtained by The Blast. An unpaid Citibank/Citi Mastercard balance of $36,131.35 is currently owed on Anne Heche's account, according to a legal filing obtained by The Blast.

Consequently, the document control officer stated, "As reflected on the attached Account Statement, the balance on the Account is $62,011.35. After the attached Account Statement was sent to the decedent, an additional payment or credit/debit was received on the Account for $25,850.00. As of the date of this affidavit, the Account balance of $36,161 .35 is justly due and owing." In this case, Laffoon was notified of the claim made against the estate since he is currently serving as the executor of her estate after a lengthy legal battle.

Last August, Heche passed away in a car accident. The actress was hospitalized on August 5 in Los Angeles. She was declared legally dead on August 12 after being in a coma for several days. On August 14, she was taken off life support after being on it for two days to prepare her organs for donation. What followed was a prolonged legal battle for control over her estate. In the end, a judge ruled that Laffoon would be declared the general administrator of her estate instead of her ex, James Tupper, 57. Despite Tupper's objections, Judge Lee Bogdanoff ruled in November 2022 that Laffoon would gain legal control over Heche's remaining assets. Bryan Phipps, Laffoon's attorney, said they are glad to have ended this "phase" after the hearing, The Blast reported.

"We believe the court reached the correct result this morning, both legally and equitably, and are glad to have this phase of the process behind us," he said. "With Mr. Tupper's allegations and objections now resolved, we are hopeful the administration of the Estate can proceed without unnecessary complication."

Nonetheless, Judge Bogdanoff warned Laffoon that an investigation for fraud or embezzlement might result in his removal from the position as an administrator. This warning was likely prompted by Tupper's claims that over $200,000 of jewelry had gone missing. According to Judge Bogdanoff, Heche's son did not commit any wrongdoing at the time. Laffoon received the decision after being granted "special powers" over her estate just over a month ago. Court documents filed at the time stated that Laffoon had the right to "take possession of all the personal property of the estate of the decedent and preserve it from damage, waste, and injury."

Additionally, he was given copies of her financial records and tax returns, according to The Blast. It is stated in the court filing that Laffoon can "commence and maintain or defend" lawsuits that might be filed against her estate, enabling him to deal with Citibank's lawsuit regarding her unpaid credit card debt. About a month after his mother passed away in September, Laffoon filed papers to take over her estate. According to her eldest son, Heche did not have a will, although Tupper said she appointed him executor over ten years ago. Laffoon argued that his mother's signature on the will was invalid, and it seems a judge agreed with him.

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